Vicious Rumors
by CathyD
Summary: Sky finds Syd crying, and tries to find out why. ONE-SHOT


Vicious Rumors

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Not Mine. I'm still hoping though.

Summary: It's Sky and it's Syd, and it's based on this quote: "I want a boy I can run to; with tears running down my face and the _first_ thing he says is 'Who's ass am I kicking babe?'"

AN: This fic was actually inspired by a quote I read on a graphic somewhere. When I gave the quote to Kim and Terra, Terra issued me a challenge to write a fic using it. Then, when I told KIM about the challenge, she basically seconded the challenge, and thus this drabble was born. LOL It was supposed to be a small little drabble, but it kinda of took on a life of it's own and ended up being three pages long (which isn't HUGE, but still bigger than I'd thought).

Dedicated: To Terra and Kim, who keep me going by challenging me to do so. Love you guys!

- - - - -

Sky was headed out to the training course for a late night jog, when he heard a sound off to the right. Curiosity, and SPD training, led him to go check it out, needing to know what it was. As he neared the benches placed near the course for Cadets to rest on after their training, he could hear more clearly that the sound was someone crying. And not just crying, but a female sobbing. Sky hesitated, knowing he wasn't very good at dealing with people very well, let alone a sobbing female, but something made him keep going.

As he came around the tree where the voice was coming from, he could make out long blond hair that seemed very familiar. "Hey, are you okay? Do you need any-" he was stopped short when the owner of said blond hair looked up, and he realized who it was. "SYD?!"

"Oh Sky!" she was up off the ground in an instant, and ran right into his arms.

Stunned, he held her for a moment before he found his voice, "Okay, who's ass do I need to kick this time?" He smiled when he heard the half laugh-half sob escape her at his words. "Seriously, who did it?"

Syd sniffed, she didn't know if she really wanted to tell him or not. She had an irrational fear of him thinking as badly of her as the Cadets she'd overheard just an hour ago. She couldn't do it so she mumbled, "It's nothing. I'm just tired I guess."

Sky pulled back so he could look at her. "Syd, you forget I know you better than that. You don't cry this hard over nothing. Now what, or _who_, is it?"

Syd didn't want to tell him, it was too embarrassing, and she didn't want him to think they were right. "Sky, please don't make me tell you. I can't."

"Why can't you Syd? You can tell me anything, you know that." When she wouldn't look at him, he tilted her chin up with his right hand, "Come on Syd, why can't you?"

"It's too embarrassing," she whispered.

"Syd, we've known each other how long? There's nothing for use to be embarrassed about with each other."

Syd let out a sigh, and knowing she couldn't look him in the eye as she said it, she put her forehead against his chest, "I overheard some C Squad Cadets talking about me."

Sky chuckled, "So? You love for people to talk about you."

"Not when they say stuff like this," she sniffed again as a fresh round of tears appeared in her eyes. "They were mean and hateful things. And totally untrue."

Sky was surprised at her words. Someone say something bad about Syd? It was unbelievable. Everyone loved the perky Pink Ranger, she was one of the friendliest people he knew. "What kind of things Syd?"

"They were talking about how someone like me couldn't be on B Squad, let alone a Ranger, without a little help. That I didn't deserve to be here."

"What?! That's crazy! You worked your butt off to be a Ranger. What kind of help would you have needed?" he rubbed her arms in a comforting manor.

"The kind you get by sleeping with the right people," she whispered.

Sky was sure he'd misheard what she said; at least he hoped he had. "WHAT?" He was too dumbfounded to say anything else.

"They said that the only way I made it to B Squad to start with was because I slept with someone high up. That someone like me, a spoiled princess, wasn't good enough to earn it. And then they said something about it being obvious that I was sleeping with you and Bridge since I was the only girl for so long, and the three of us were so close."

The last part was said through heavy crying and Sky had a hard time processing it. And then he got mad. '_How dare someone say something like that about Sydney! When I get a hold of them, they'll wish they hadn't._' Sky was absolutely fuming, as he tried to calm Syd down by rubbing her back. "Who was it?"

Syd could hear the barely restrained anger in his voice. She couldn't tell him though, she was too busy crying. She clung to him as she cried out her hurt; she knew she wasn't always the nicest person (she could have her snobby moments), or the smartest person on the team, but it hurt for people to not believe she made the rank of Power Ranger on her own merits. She had worked very hard to get where she was. It took a few moments, but she finally calmed down enough to tell him, "Well, all of C Squad was in the courtyard together when I walked by. It was mainly Sarah and Brianna that I heard, but I know one of the boys said something too, I just don't know which one it was. It may have been Bryce, it wouldn't surprise me coming from him after the way he's been treating me lately."

Sky stiffened at the her words, "What do you mean, the way he's been treating you?"

"Well, he'd been hitting on me for about two weeks, and one day last week I had finally had enough and instead of just saying 'No', I let him have it right there in front of a bunch of other Cadets. Ever since then he's been snotty and hateful to me. Making little comments to me when he passes me."

"That asshole." Sky fairly growled. "I'll have a talk with him about his behavior."

"NO!" Syd pulled away and took a step back, placing some distance between them. "You can't do that! How would that look if you go defending me? How would that help my situation?"

Sky was confused, "What do you mean help your situation? And it would look like I'm trying to defend one of my best friends, to a bunch of jealous, immature wannabe's. That's all they are, you do realize that right? They just want to be Power Rangers (to get the glory, they're not really that dedicated) and are upset that they couldn't cut it, and you could. AND they need to be taught to show some respect to their superior officers."

Syd looked torn; on the one hand she was happy he wanted to "defend" her, but on the other she was afraid it would make matters worse. It would practically confirm that something was going on between the Blue and Pink Rangers. "Sky, please… just don't say anything. The last thing I need is more fuel to the fire. They would see you defending me and automatically assume it's fact that we're sleeping together."

"Syd, come on! They're disrespecting you! Not only on a personal level, by basically calling you loose, but as an SPD Ranger too!" Sky was more furious than he could ever remember being. Even after Cruger had made Jack Red. "Which is totally unacceptable."

"Sky, please," she whispered.

Syd closed her eyes and as Sky saw the two tears fall from her eyes he softened. Sighing, he reluctantly agreed, "Okay, I won't say anything right now. But they'd better hope I never hear them myself, or I'll rip them a new one."

It was rare for the Blue Ranger to talk like that, he was usually more in control, and Syd gave him a gentle smile for it. "Thanks Sky." Syd was relieved he was going to let it go -at least for now.

Sky hauled her into his arms, kissed the side of her head and said, "Besides, what would it hurt for them to know we're sleeping together?"

Syd giggled, "Oh Sky."

fin

AN2: This fic was posted a week ago at my SkySyd/TomKim board Perfect Chemistry (http: perfecttwo(dot)proboards98(dot)com/index(dot)cgi Sorry for posting the link like that, but ff.n won't let me post it any other way). I will be posting my new stuff there first (by at least a week or two, but probably more. posting here won't be a high priority for me anymore), so if you'd like to see fics as soon as I write them (and a lot of other great fics) come check us out. We'd love to see you there! I'm posting another story up there tonight, and it will be posted here soon (though it won't be the MA version you'll find at the board), but if you'd like to read it sooner, you have to go to the board.


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